Page 29 - Air Pollution

Delhi air quality remains 'very poor' for second day after brief relief

The air quality in Delhi dipped to the 'very poor' category again on Sunday after remaining in 'poor' levels for two previous days, aided by favourable winds

Next 15 days crucial to tackle air pollution in Delhi, says Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai emphasised the urgent need to tackle air pollution across northern India, calling the next 15 days "crucial". Following a key meeting with the Central government on Friday, Rai held a press conference on Saturday. The meeting, attended by Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Bhupender Yadav, along with environment ministers from neighbouring states, aimed to assess and address the worsening air quality in the region. Rai expressed concern over the delay in this year's meeting and said, "Last year, a similar meeting was held in August, allowing us more time to strategise. "This year's meeting took place in the last week of October. Had it been conducted three months earlier, we could have tackled the pollution problem more effectively," Rai said. According to Rai, Punjab has shown a promising downtrend in the stubble burning incidents, with only 1,500 cases reported this year compared to nearly 5,000 cases in 2022. However, he noted an upti

Diwali fireworks and air pollution: How to protect your respiratory health

Pollutants emitted by crackers may last in the air for day, troubling people with respiratory issues

L-G flags dust disaster in letter to CM Atishi, AAP calls BJP hypocrite

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister Atishi citing road dust as the biggest contributor to air pollution in the city and suggesting it would be better to set one's own house in order rather than blaming others. The AAP, however, said the country's top three cities with the worst AQI levels are in BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which exposes the party's hypocrisy. It claimed Delhi was "breathing its cleanest air in the last decade" and noted today's Supreme Court order reprimanding the Centre for not taking stringent measures to control pollution. Citing studies and his own experience of visiting various localities, Saxena claimed in his letter that about 36 per cent of the air pollution in the city was due to dust on the roads, largely caused by unprocessed construction and demolition waste. He claimed the Delhi government might have little control over 26 per cent of the causative factors behind pollution due to parali (paddy stubble) ...

Breathe at your own risk: How Delhi's air is taking a dangerous turn

Health experts warn that vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly, face heightened risk, raising serious concern over the long-term impacts of air pollution

Lahore declared the world's most polluted city as smog crisis deepens

Lahore's alarming pollution crisis is primarily driven by crop residue burning and industrial emissions

To curb air pollution, parking charges in Lutyens' Delhi likely to double

In another step to curb the rising air pollution in the national capital, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is likely to double its parking charges. "In keeping Delhi's rising pollution in mind, the NDMC has decided to double its parking charges to encourage people to travel by public transportation," a senior NDMC official told PTI. The order regarding the hike in parking charges is to be released soon, the official added. Under the normal parking charges for surface parking at the NDMC parking lots, four-wheelers are charged Rs 20 per hour (with a maximum of Rs 100 for a day), while two-wheelers are charged Rs 10 per hour. In the case of multilevel parking sites, the charges are Rs 10 for four hours for cars and Rs 5 up to four hours for two-wheelers. For the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which manages around 96 per cent of the city's geographical area, the parking charges have not been hiked so far as the proposal for the increase is pending clearance before th

BRICS summit, Delhi pollution, Hyundai Motor India & more

During bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Delhi AQI crisis triggers Grap stage 2: What it means for the capital

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that Delhi's AQI will remain in the 'very poor' range over the coming days

10 easy ways to purify indoor air to protect your family from poor air

The AQI of Delhi and NCR has already dropped to "very poor," which is very dangerous for our health. The worsening air quality has forced the people to stay indoors, but even indoor air can be unsafe

Delhi urges UP, Haryana, Raj to restrict diesel buses to curb air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote letters to the transport ministers of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, urging them to ensure no diesel buses from their states plied to the national capital in view of GRAP II restrictions in place. With the air quality in Delhi plummeting, Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) second stage restrictions kicked in from 8 am. Rai announced a slew of measures, including enhanced water sprinkling to control road dust, use of dust suppressants and deployment of additional traffic personnel to ease traffic congestion, among others. Rai said in his letters that a major component of this air pollution is vehicular emissions largely attributed to the significant number of diesel buses reaching Delhi from their states. "The impact of diesel emissions on air quality is well established and the large influx of such buses significantly contribute to the degradation of air quality in Delhi, posing serious health risks to the residents," he

'Red Light on-Gaadi off' campaign against pollution commences in Delhi

Kicking off the campaign at ITO intersection, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to drivers to help reduce pollution by turning off their vehicle engines at red light

Rise in respiratory disease cases due to air pollution, say experts

The central-run hospital Ram Manohar Lohia has also started running special OPD services for Air Pollution patients

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Delhi's AQI improves to 'poor' category; political blame game erupts

A recent survey revealed that 36 per cent of the families in Delhi-NCR have one or more members experiencing pollution-related health problems

Changing weather responsible for Delhi's poor air quality: Gopal Rai

Delhi's air quality has deteriorated to the 'poor' category due to changing weather conditions and the pollution level is expected to worsen after Diwali, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Saturday. Rai told PTI Videos that the Delhi government is doing everything it can to control dust pollution and needs the cooperation of residents. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the 'poor' category with a reading of 273 at 9 am on Saturday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. In some areas, the air quality was worse. The AQI in Mundka and Bawana stood at 366, Wazirpur 355, Jahangirpuri 347 and Anand Vihar 333, all in the 'very poor' category, the data showed. Rai said Delhi's air quality has dropped to the 'poor' category due to changing weather conditions and with temperatures dropping, the situation could deteriorate further. It is likely to worsen after Diwali, he said. "For such emergencies, we have written to the central government," the minis

36% of Delhi-NCR families experiencing pollution-related ailments: Survey

Amid deteriorating air quality, 36 per cent of the families in Delhi-NCR have one or more members experiencing pollution-related ailments like sore throat, cough, and breathing difficulty, a survey revealed. With over 21,000 responses from the residents of Delhi-NCR, the survey -- conducted by digital platform LocalCircles -- has revealed the impacts of air pollution on the people of the national capital region. The findings show that 36 per cent of families have one or more members experiencing sore throat, cough, and breathing difficulty due to pollution and 27 per cent of the families have one or more members with a runny nose and congestion. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents said they were not facing any health issues related to the poor air quality, according to the survey. With Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) in the "poor" category, the survey asked the respondents about their plans to cope. The survey highlighted that only 18 per cent of the respondents intend to use air

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Delhi wakes up to a blanket of smog; AQI drops to 'very poor' in many areas

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts unfavourable weather will continue, keeping pollution levels high until at least Sunday

Delhi govt forms committees to control air pollution at 13 hotspots

Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said the government has formed a coordination committee each to identify and mitigate local sources of pollution at 13 locations in the city stifled with "very poor" air. Rai at a press conference said that while whole of Delhi is breathing 'poor' air, it is particularly 'very poor' at 13 hotspots, where the Air Quality Index has crossed 300. Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, R K Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri, and Dwarka Sector-8 have been identified as these 13 places. Rai said the committees will be headed by the deputy commissioners of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. He added that DPCC engineers are also designated at all hotspots and they will submit daily reports to a 'Pollution War Room'. Dust has been identified as one of the major factors at 13 hotspots for 300-plus AQI, he said, adding, 80 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed to bring the air dust down in these areas.